Britain urges to crack down on people who incite terrorism

The British government, spurred on by deadly terrorist bombings in London two months ago, is hopeful that world leaders at this week's United Nations summit will agree to crack down on people who incite terrorism.

Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to fly to U.N. headquarters in New York later Tuesday, where he intended to lead U.N. Security Council talks on the issue on the sidelines of the three-day summit.

Blair's push for the Security Council to adopt a resolution to prohibit and punish incitement to terrorism continues Britain's efforts to step up the global fight against the forces and funding behind terrorist acts.

Blair's official spokesman said that discussions on the proposed resolution to clamp down on people who preach hatred, sponsor violence or belong to extremist groups are "progressing well."

"We are hopeful that it (the U.N.) will adopt a new resolution on terrorism which will not just set out commitments against terrorism, but also commit countries to taking action against incitement to terrorism," he told reporters on customary condition of anonymity at a briefing ahead of Blair's departure.

Blair will discuss the issue on Wednesday with his counterparts from the other permanent members of the Security Council, the United States, China, Russia and France, and with the entire 15-member Security Council before delivering an address to the full U.N. gathering.

A draft resolution circulated by British officials earlier this month calls on all states to "prohibit by law the incitement of a terrorist act or acts" and take measures that may be "necessary and appropriate to prevent such conduct..."

The proposed resolution also calls on all countries "to counter violent extremist ideologies, including steps to prevent the subversion of educational, cultural, and religious institutions by terrorists and their supporters."

Britain has already pledged to bring in domestic legislation making it an offense to incite or glorify terrorism and will deport or bar radical Islamic preachers and close mosques linked with extremist clerics. Those plans followed the July 7 terror attacks on London's transit system that killed 52 people and the four suicide bombers, and attempted bombings on July 21 that targeted three subways and a double-decker bus.

Britain has also been pushing the terrorism crackdown in its capacity as the current holder of the rotating residency of the European Union, with several officials putting the issue at the top of the agenda at EU meetings across Britain in the past week.